LOS ANGELES -- Nine years ago, when an aging oil pipeline ruptured near the coast of Santa Barbara County, an inky darkness spread over the waters. The massive slick of oil engulfed and killed hundreds of marine animals, including, seals, dolphins and pelicans. And the acrid smell of petroleum polluted the coastline's air.

On May 19, 2015, a corroded section of an oil pipeline burst and released more than 140,000 gallons of oil near Refugio State Beach. The incident -- which revived memories of a massive 3-million-gallon spill almost 50 years earlier -- sullied some of the state's most pristine beaches and a rare stretch of undeveloped coastline. Oil migrated as far away as Orange County, closing fisheries and costing hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up.

Soon after the spill, Exxon Mobil halted operations at its three offshore oil platforms while Plains All American Pipeline idled the connected pipelines. This year, Sable Offshore Corp., a Houston-based energy company, purchased the mothballed equipment and announced plans to restart oil extraction by the end of the year -- including the failed pipeline.

Most recently, the California Coastal Commission has repeatedly admonished the company for performing unauthorized work on the pipeline in an attempt to ready the equipment for transporting oil. This week, environmentalists carrying homemade signs and a large banner reading "Fight Offshore Drilling" protested at a commission meeting in San Diego.